Where do you find Paradise? The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “ Paradise is at the feet of the mother.”
This is variously interpreted to mean that the mother is responsible for teaching her children their religious obligations and good behavior that will win them Paradise; or it may mean that we earn Paradise by serving our mother throughout her life.
Either way, it shows the great esteem, honor and respect that Islam has for mothers. While the fourth Commandment in the Bible is “Honor thy father and thy mother”, the Bible does not mention the mother separately as deserving good treatment.
The Qur’an, in contrast, gives special recognition to the mother’s suffering in bearing and nursing her child: “And We have enjoined on man to be good to his parents: In travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in two years was his weaning.
Show gratitude to Me and to your parents” (31:14). (see themodernreligion.com under women) Women are more psychologically fitted to nurturing, more compassionate and patient Today in the Muslim world, even where many of the precepts of Islam are ignored, Westerners are often amazed at the gentle, loving treatment that parents receive.
An Arab proverb says if you want to know how a man will treat his wife, look how he treats his mother.
Becoming a mother is one of the greatest joys of a Muslim woman. She knows that her child is both a gift and a trust from God. She carries a great responsibility in raising a family, not only in caring for their physical needs, but also in educating them in their religion and morals.
For this and other reasons, Islam calls upon all Muslims, male and female, to be educated, for how can a woman teach her children when she herself is ignorant? Islam also recognizes that, compared to the man, the woman is by nature more psychologically fitted to nurturing, more compassionate and patient.
For that reason, Islam decrees that husbands must maintain their wives and children, and it encourages mothers with young children to remain at home with their children rather than work outside the house.
And, in case of divorce, custody of young children goes to the mother. All this respect and honor goes to the mother, even if she is a non-Muslim, and also to maternal aunts.
Thus the woman does not cut from her own family when she marries, but her children continue to honor the kin relationships of both their mother and father
AElfwine Mischler
Are There 15 Punishments for One Who Neglects Prayer?
The hadith “Whoever neglects Prayer, Allah will send 15 punishments upon him, 6 in this world, 3 when he is dying, 3 in the grave, and 3 when he emerges from the grave …” is a fabricated (mawdu`) hadith that is falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Sheikh Abdul-`Aziz ibn Baz, the late mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated: “With regard to the hadith which the author of this pamphlet attributes to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning the punishment of the one who does not pray, and which says that 15 punishments will be sent upon him, and so on, this is one of the fabricated hadiths that are falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as was stated by the scholars such as Al-Hafiz Adh-Dhahabi, Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar, and others.”
Similarly the Standing Committee for Islamic Research and Ifta’ declared this hadith to be false. Among the things they mentioned that are worth quoting here is this: “What has been narrated from Allah and from His Messenger concerning the punishment of the one who does not pray is sufficient. Allah says: ‘Verily, As Salah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours’ (Al-Nissa’: 103). “And Allah says of the people of Hell: ‘“What has caused you to enter Hell?
”’ They will say: “We were not of those who used to offer the Salah (prayers)”’ (Al-Muddaththir: 42-43). “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘The covenant that stands between us and them is Prayer; whoever gives up Prayer is a non-Muslim’ (At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah). And there are other verses and hadiths which speak of giving up Prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) described it as disbelief.”
The late Sheikh Ibn `Uthaymeen, a prominent Saudi Muslim scholar, (may Allah shower mercy on his soul) said: “This hadith is mawdu` (fabricated) and falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It is not permissible to propagate it unless it is accompanied by a statement that it is fabricated, so that the people will have a clear understanding about it.
Missing Prayer for a Long Time: Should I Make Up for It?
Prayer is the main pillar of faith and the main article of Iman. A Muslim is asked to perform it in all cases. If one cannot do it while standing, then he can do it while sitting or while lying in his bed.
In the light of the above, it is crystal clear that “Prayer is the only pillar in Islam that cannot be waived under any circumstances, unless a person is mentally handicapped. It has to be performed, whether a person is traveling, sick, poor, rich, married, pregnant, old, etc., unlike other pillars (fasting, pilgrimage, and Zakah, that can be waived under certain conditions.
There is no provision in Islam to miss any prayers, unlike other pillars such as fasting or paying Zakah, or performing pilgrimage which can be missed but made up later only under special circumstances (such as being poor or sick or traveling, etc.) and if there is the ability to do so.
Even if you are sick and are lying on a bed in a hospital without being able to move, you have to pray with your eyes. This shows how essential prayer is and how no one is allowed to downplay its importance.”
Addressing the issue of making up for missed prayer, Sheikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi scholar and author, states the following: “When a person misses a prayer unintentionally, this may happen due to a legitimate excuse, such as forgetting or sleeping, although he is basically very keen to perform the prayer on time. In this case one is excused but he is to make it up as soon as he remembers it.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Companions slept and missed Fajr prayer, and the Companions began to ask one another: “What is the kaffarah (expiation) for what we have done by neglecting the prayer?”
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Sleeping does not mean that you are neglecting the prayer. Rather neglecting the prayer means not praying one prayer until the time for the next prayer comes. Whoever does that let him pray when he remembers it.”
In case a person misses a prayer deliberately, this is a major sin, and it is so serious that some of the scholars stated that the one who does this is a kafir (as it says in Majmu` Fatawa wa Maqalat Samahat Ash-Sheikh Ibn Baz, 10/374).
The one who does this has to repent sincerely, according to scholarly consensus. With regard to making up the prayer, there was a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether or not it would be accepted from him if he makes it up afterwards. Most of the scholars said that he should make it up and that his prayer is valid, although he is a sinner (i.e., if he does not repent – and Allah knows best), as Sheikh Ibn `Uthyameen quoted from them in Ash-Sharhul-Mumti’, 2/89.
The view chosen by Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah bless his soul) is that it is not valid, and that it is not prescribed for him to make it up. He said in Al-Ikhtiyarat (34): “It is not prescribed for the one who misses a prayer deliberately to make it up, and the prayer, if he makes it up, is not valid; rather he should do a lot of nafl (voluntary) prayers. This is the view of a group among the Salaf.” One of the contemporary scholars who regarded this view as more correct is Sheikh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah bless his soul); he quoted as evidence for that the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.” (Agreed upon). So, one must beware of this and strive to perform all the prayers on time, as Allah says: “Verily, prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” (An-Nisa: 103)”
